The field of the present invention relates to pool cues and extenders for same. Further, the field of this pool cue invention relates to one that has one or more butt extenders that may easily and quickly be attached to a standard cue for breaking a rack of cue balls or for play in places having limited space.
My invention interfaces and operates in conjunction with pool cue apparatus for playing the sport of pool. Provided below are brief descriptions of certain relevant terms which further the understanding of the invention and provide a basis for a detailed teaching of the improvement in the art provided by this invention.
Pool Cues
All pool cues whether one piece or detachable for ease of carrying and handling have both a tip and a butt end. On the butt or base end a cushion is normally attached by a screw with the cushion serving to protect the cue from damage when same comes into contact with the floor. This invention modifies the butt end of a standard pool cue by boring a threaded receiving female hole through the center of the butt cushion where it is ready to receive a male threaded stub of an extender.
Butt Extender
An extender is sized to fit the butt end of a pool cue and has at its forward end a cavity to receive the butt cushion and a center-located threaded bolt that is sized to mate with the threaded bore in the center of the cue cushion. One or more butt extenders may be connected in tandem in that some of the extenders are adapted at the butt end to receive other extender sections.
The game of pool, whether at pastime or professional level, requires various cue sizes, weights and capabilities. Each pool player has his own cue that may be one piece or more often is a sectional device for ease of handling and carrying. Each cue in a ready to play condition has a tip and a butt end.
For the casual player - particularly at home - the pool table may be placed in a crowded area that requires dexterity and inventiveness to carry out some shots around posts and other obstructions surrounding the pool table. One or more extender sections of this invention may take the place of the butt section of a modified pool cue for use in such tight space environments. Such a cue is referred to as xe2x80x9cmodifiedxe2x80x9d in that its cushion and base end must be adapted to the inventive principles mentioned above under the pool cue and butt extender definitions.
Turning now to the prior art, a search was done by the patent Office for the parent design application and the Examiner cited some art of peripheral relevance. The examination and allowance of the earlier parent application resulted in citation of the following patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,370 to Mortellacci (July, 1985)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,197 to Parsons (April, 1995)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,003 to LeBeau (September, 1997)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,019 to Taylor (September, 2000)
U.S. Design Patent D-370,955 to Fisher (June, 1996)
The above listed patents have only a very limited relevance and do not achieve either the structure or the functions of the invention as disclosed and claimed herein.
The advantages and inventive nature of my apparatus and method over the aforementioned body of prior art is significantly two fold. First, a user can effectively attach one or more extenders to a modified pool cue. These extenders can vary the usable length and weight of a pool cue so adapted.
Additionally, should a user want to achieve a heavy weighted cue for breaking a rack of balls, the extender series each have cavities that house a user-selected series of weight rings so that a user""s particular break requirements may easily and quickly be met by use of my invention.
The butt extender of this invention fits over the butt end cushion of a pool cue and is adaptable for play in tightly obstructed table areas. Moreover the butt extender has the capability of regulating the weight in the extender portions by a series of weight rings. My method invention includes the novel steps of placing a bore in the center of a butt end cushion in order to receive an extender section that has a male threaded post to mate with the threads of the bore, which extender has a cushion-receiving void that houses the butt cushion of the cue.
My pool cue extender may consist of a series of extender sections of differing lengths. Such extenders are adapted to threadably fit within a modified prior art pool cue. That cue has, at its butt end, a cushion that has been bored centrally along the longitudinal axis of the cue. The inner surface of that bore is threaded to mate with a longitudinally aligned and threaded extender stub which protrudes from the front of an extender section. A cushion-receiving cavity surrounds the stub and is adapted to house the cue cushion when the extender has been added to the modified pool cue.
Further, my extender invention provides a deep elongated cushion-receiving cavity to additionally receive and house a series of washer-like weight rings, some of which have slightly oversized openings that may be dropped over the threaded extender stub before the extender itself is screwed unto the modified pool cue. The outermost weight ring is also threaded such that the extender houses and conceals both the cue cushion and the user-selected weight rings when in an attached condition for play.
Further yet, my extender comes in a series of differing lengths so that any user may select the length and weight that suits him for playing pool. The extender unit may easily and simply be added or removed from the cue without disrupting play and may be carried within the users pocket or case for convenience sake.
It is an object to provide a longitudinal and threaded bore through the butt cushion of a pool cue in order to modify the cue so that it may receive my extender invention.
It is an object to provide a series of extender sections that may be installed by a user on a pool cue in order to vary the weight and the length to suit that particular user.
It is an object to provide a series of both threaded and unthreaded weight rings that may be housed in a forward or rearward facing cavity which is provided at either end of an extender section.
It is an object to provide for simple hand attachment/removal of pool cue extenders to conceal and house a pool cue cushion in a forward facing cavity of an extender.
It is an object to provide a weight ring spanner wrench that allows the user to tighten threaded weight ring(s) around a protruding stub of an extender.
It is an object to provide a method and apparatus which easily and simply adjusts the length and weight of a pool cue by use of a series of extender and weight ring combinations.